Murder by Death

These are the books that came this week without the fanfare of a big blue Belgian bag.  Despite their quiet arrival in their nondescript, brown cardboard envelopes (which sounds lewd when I write it like that) I am incredibly excited about each one of them:

The Unknown Unknown: Bookshops and the Delight of Not Getting What You Wanted - Mark Forsyth - I've already gushed about this perfect little joyous ode to bookshops; it's my first 5 star read of the year - all 31 pages of it.

Stuff Matters: Exploring the Marvelous Materials That Shape Our Man-Made World - Mark Miodownik - I've been seeing this in my local bookshops, but a review by, of all people, Bill Gates was the tipping point for me (I say 'of all people' because I'm all Apple, all the time). He wrote a very good review of this one and he liked What If? so I'm going with it.

The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll through the Hidden Connections of the English Language - Mark Forsyth - he who wrote The Unknown Unknown.  If this one is half as good as that one, I'm gonna be a fangirl.

My Life and Hard Times - James Thurber - this one is an upgrade of the slim paperback I currently own and an eBay bargain.  I'm in love with the Folio editions with their individual slipcovers; eBay has become a dangerous place for me...

Total books received: 17

Books read: 6

Total physical TBR: 194

Oh boy, I'm gonna break the 200 book barrier soon... must read faster (and shop slower)!